AoStH/Archie Crossover: Part 2

The next morning, Prime Sonic decided to introduce the AoStHs to his parents. Just so they would know the AoStHs weren't a threat, he reasoned. A strange emotion crossed AoStH Sonic's face, but he agreed.

AoStH Sonic was tense the whole way to the Hedgehog residence, something his Tails noticed. He slipped his hand into AoStH Sonic's.

"These ones aren't fake, you know," AoStH Tails said softly, "you don't need to worry."

"Thanks, bud," AoStH Sonic replied, smiling and turning his head to Tails, "but that's not it."

"Then what is it?" Tails wanted to know.

"Something I shouldn't be worried about," Sonic replied, looking straight ahead again, his face slipping into a grim look.

Prime Sonic pretended the whole exchange hadn't happened.

"Here it is," he said, "home."

Prime opened the door, calling,

"Mom! Dad! I have a couple of people to introduce you to!"

AoStH Sonic became as stiff as a board, then relaxed. AoStH Tails knew his Sonic wasn't actually relaxed, but so tense he was pretending to be relaxed. He looked at him weirdly. What was Sonic so worried about? And why couldn't he tell Tails?

Prime motioned for the AoStHs to come in. When they entered, his parents were already waiting for them on the couch. The AoStHs were surprised to see that Prime's dad was a robot. Prime's parents were just as surprised to see the AoStHs.

"Are these your and Tails' counterparts from a different zone?" Prime's dad asked Prime.

"Yeah," Prime answered, "we call them the AoStHs."

"Why are you a robot?" AoStH Tails asked Prime's dad.

"Tails!" AoStH Sonic scolded, embarrassed.

"It's fine," Prime's dad reassured him, "I wasn't originally a robot, but I was hurt really bad in a war, so I was turned into a robot to save my life."

"Oh," AoStH Tails said.

Prime's mom had been watching the two closely throughout the exchange.

"Something's bugging you," she noted, talking to AoStH Sonic.

"Huh?" AoStH Sonic acted confused, but inwardly started to panic, "what do you mean?"

"Don't try to hide it from me," Prime's mom pressed, "I know my son, and I can tell you act a lot like him. Something is really bugging you."

"Sonic usually acts like this," AoStH Tails lied, trying to help his friend out.

Thankfully, it seemed to work. Prime's mom still looked suspicious but backed down. By the end of the visit they learned that Prime's dad was Jules, and his mom was Bernadette or Bernie.

Afterward, AoStH Tails lead his Sonic into the forest outside New Mobotropolis. A little way in, he stopped and turned to Sonic with a worried expression.

"What's wrong?" he asked, "even Bernie noticed. What are you so scared about?"

"It's nothing," Sonic insisted, although it sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone, "I don't know why I'm so uptight about it."

"Well, you are, so it's not nothing," Tails pointed out.

"I don't have to worry about her here!" Sonic said, then mumbled hopefully, "she wouldn't search me out anyway, right?"

Looking at his big brother, Tails noticed paralyzing fear in Sonic's eyes. That made him very worried. Sonic had never been this scared.

"Who?" he asked.

Sonic closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. It wouldn't hurt to tell Tails, and besides, Sonic needed to get it off his chest anyway. For the past seven years, he'd trained himself to ignore, to forget. If she was out of his mind, she didn't bug him. She didn't go away though, Sonic had to admit. Mary had been such a looming part of his childhood that, even if she wasn't in his consciousness, his unconsciousness was all too aware that she was always there. She was always watching, always with her condescending finger pointed at him, insults waiting on the tip of her tongue. If Sonic messed up in the slightest, like, say, existing in the first place, she unleashed a flurry of insults and beer bottles.

"Okay," he said, making up his mind.

Sonic opened his eyes, then kneeled to get eye level with Tails.

"Prime is lucky," he started, "he has good parents who love and take care of him. I… I wasn't so lucky."

Tails looked at Sonic fearfully. Sonic's tone was deadly serious. It had never gone this solemn before.

"What do you mean?" he asked in a small voice.

"I never knew my dad," Sonic started, "my parents weren't married, so when he found out my mom was pregnant, he left her."

"He… left?" Tails asked.

He didn't understand much of what Sonic was saying, or why Sonic was so serious, but he didn't know what else to say. Sonic smiled at Tails, but it was a sad smile.

"I know this is hard for you to understand, but just know my parents were bad parents, and kind of bad people," he said kindly.

"How was your mom?" Tails asked quietly, "you're so scared."

"Yeah," Sonic looked down, then caught himself and looked back up, "she- she hated me."

"But-" this wasn't adding up in Tails' mind, "but you're her son!"

Sonic chuckled sadly.

"That's why she hated me," Sonic said, "I ran away when I was 8."

"That's why you were so scared," Tails whispered, "that's awful."

Sonic nodded.

"We don't have to worry about Mary here, though," he said, standing, "I shouldn't even be thinking about her. I try to forget, but…"

Sonic sighed and turned away from Tails.

"There are some things that never leave you," he said softly, "scars that never heal. Memories that cannot be forgotten. Fear that can never go away."

Tails stepped closer hesitantly, arm outstretched. What could he do? Sonic was hurting; he had always been hurting because of what his mom had done to him as a child. Nothing Tails could do could fix it. Even though Tails was only 4 ½, he understood that much. However, Tails vowed at that moment to do everything in his power to make Sonic feel better. He slipped his hand into Sonic's.

"I'm with you forever, Sonic," Tails said in a strong voice, "you're my big bro, and I love you. I know your mom hurt you a lot, but I'm going to try to make you happy."

Sonic smiled at Tails and gave him a small hug.

"You always make me happy," Sonic said, "but thank you."

Sonic's voice got choked as he started to cry.

"Thank you so much," he whispered.

Tails smiled as he looked up at Sonic. He didn't need to say anything.